Abbott drops in on Diggers

Opposition leader Tony Abbott presents Australian troops with an early Christmas present – a collection of cricket and football gear.
Photo: Supplied by Defence Public Affairs Unit

by
James Massola | Online political correspondent

Coalition Leader
Tony Abbott
left Labor’s attacks on Mal Brough behind and made a six-hour surprise visit to Australia’s troops in Afghanistan, conceding the war-torn country’s future may not be resolved for decades.

Mr Abbott did not speak out on Mr Brough’s future after the case against Peter Slipper was rejected in the Federal Court. Instead, in a frank speech to 300 Diggers during his third visit to Afghanistan, Mr Abbott said Australian forces had worked hard promoting decency “in a country that has been pretty short on decency for a very long time".

“There are lots of encouraging indicators . . . Taliban-inspired violence appears to be much reduced," he said. Australia’s mission had contributed to improvements in a “pretty wild and lawless" place – including stronger civilian government, better security “outside the wire" of bases like Tarin Kowt, and civil measures such as building a school for 500 women.

The commander of Australian forces in the Middle East, Major-General Michael Crane, said Australian forces were working closely with Afghan counterparts to prevent more of the insider, or green-on-blue, attacks in which seven Australian soldiers have been killed and 12 wounded.

General Crane said it was sometimes forgotten that Afghan security forces had lost more of their number from insider attacks than had Coalition forces.

“It’s a very serious problem for the Afghans as well. They get it, about insider attacks," he said.

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation was undertaking its third survey of troop morale in 2012, the major-general said, and the lessons learned from the attacks were being passed back home. “The message I give them [diggers] is that the big enemy is complacency, no matter how long since the last attack we cannot afford to be complacent about the insider threat. We are absolutely on that case," he said.

Preparations for the Australian pullout began 12 months ago, and General Crane predicted the next two years before the withdrawal would pass quickly.

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Meanwhile, the attitude of troops was, “they’ve been sent by the government to do a job, they continue to see the job as worthwhile and they are very professional and focused on what they have to do."

Turning to the security situation after the pullout, Mr Abbott said: “We don’t know what the future of Afghanistan will be in 20, 30, 40 or 50 years’ time. We just don’t know. We have no crystal ball and we can’t say in the time after Australian and other allied forces leave here what will happen in this place."

“But what I am sure of is we can take great confidence, based on the work you have done here these last few years, that the professionalism of the Australian armed forced is well and truly on display.

“And I am confident that every day Australian forces are present on the ground, every day our allies are present on the ground in this country or indeed any other country that our armed forces are active in will be a better day."

Major-General Crane said the army was conscious of pulling out too quickly and abandoning Afghan allies.

“One of the biggest concerns we have is a sense of abandonment as we come towards the end of 2014. We’ve got to watch that very closely, to just pick up stakes and run would not be an appropriate way or a useful way to end what has been a pretty significant commitment here over the years," he said.

“There is still work to be done, advising at higher levels, getting logistics in place and we need to reinforce that message to the Afghan people that we are not abandoning them."

The Gillard government has committed about $100 million annually to aid programs in Afghanistan beyond 2015, as well as leaving open the possibility of special forces remaining in the country for years to come.

After a barbecue, he presented Australian troops with an early Christmas present of cricket and football gear, before being swamped by soldiers eager to chat and have their picture taken with him.

Australia’s mission in the country enjoys bipartisan support, with Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard in lock step over the commitment of 1550 troops, including the mentoring taskforce and special forces.

Mr Abbott repeated his bipartisan commitment to allowing special forces to play a role in Afghanistan after 2014.

His visit on Wednesday came on his way to Britain, where he will participate in the Australia-UK-Israel leadership dialogue, along with other Coalition and Labor MPs.

He will also deliver an address at Queen’s College, Oxford, and meet British Foreign Secretary
William Hague
, Bank of England governor
Mervyn King
and flamboyant London mayor
Boris Johnson
.